President Donald Trump dangled the promise of $5,000 checks to every American adult before the midterm elections, with a key stipulation: Republicans had to win.
And it wasn’t the only such promise he made, all tied to Republican wins and several in states critical to Senate control. During his extensive October rally tour, he vowed to: settle water contamination lawsuits in North Carolina, invest in a drug manufacturing facility in Kentucky, make a fuel commonly used by farmers more readily available in Kansas and Iowa and to continue federal help in Alaska.
Now that a blue wave decisively washed out Republican control of Congress, the White House isn’t commenting on those promises. Asked about updates to the $5,000 checks and other Trump vows, spokesperson Matthew Middleton responded vaguely, touting past accomplishments.
“Moving forward, the President will work with anyone willing to advance solutions that strengthen our economy. We hope Democrats will put the American people first and join us in that effort,” Middleton said in a statement.
Pressed on whether Trump has officially scrapped the idea for the $5,000 checks, the White House did not reply.
Trump himself hasn’t publicly commented or been asked about any of the promises since the election, including in two public appearances touting the White House ballroom and designating the Cabinet room and Oval Office national landmarks. He’s also had several phone interviews this week after it was clear Republicans were losing control of both chambers of Congress.
His comments at rallies that Republicans had to win in November to get their checks were highly criticized at the time, as many doubted he would follow through — even if Republicans did win — and critics dubbed the promise as an unsubtle attempt at bribing the electorate.
“Our country is doing so well under Republican leadership that only I can make this promise here. This might be, for some people, the most important thing I’ll say,” Trump said in Kalispell, Montana. “If Republicans can win the House of Representatives and the US Senate, I am going to give all adult citizens of the United States of America, $5,000 a year, and only a Republican president can do that because Democrats can’t.”
Even GOP lawmakers were critical of the promise, with outgoing Sen. Thom Tillis calling it a “gimmick” that wouldn’t solve real problems.
Fox News anchor Laura Ingraham also asked Trump in September why he wouldn’t just give the checks right away. He responded “they can’t” and then criticized Democrats again.
The president frequently tried to portray his vows as something he could only accomplish if Republicans still had majorities in Congress next year. He didn’t address why he hadn’t accomplished those goals in the past two years, or whether he would in the next couple of months, while Republicans still control both chambers.
And sometimes his claims — that a pot of critical money would seemingly evaporate under Democratic control — didn’t make sense.
One of those promises involved tying a Republican victory to settlement claims for water contamination at Camp Lejeune .
“If we win the House and the Senate, I am directing the Department of Justice to settle all remaining legitimate claims as soon as possible and get it off the books and get it finished. It’s gone on for years,” Trump said in Greenville, North Carolina, on October 20.
“If we don’t win, there’s no money,” he continued. “If we do win, you’re getting it. It’s going to be finally over with — that nightmare that’s been going on for so many years.”
At the time, a White House spokesperson said, “President Trump is the only one who can bring closure and justice to victims of water contamination at Camp Lejeune” and pointed to his full comments, where he said that the administration had been “fighting for our great veterans” and delivered $1 billion in cash settlements so far.
While the White House and Trump said he wants to work with Democrats, the administration has previously withheld disaster aid from Democratic-led states and admitted in July that it canceled clean-energy grants in states that voted for Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential campaign.
Trump had joked on the campaign trail that he wouldn’t give North Carolina hurricane disaster funding unless his Senate pick, Michael Whatley, won.
“Now, if Michael loses, I’m not sending it,” Trump said, adding, “No, I’m only kidding.”
About a month later, Vice President JD Vance announced at his own rally for Whatley that the administration was sending an additional $858 million in disaster relief to the state.
